The data sgp package requires the free software R to run, so users need a computer with this installed. This is available for Windows, OSX and Linux and is open source. If you haven’t used R before, it is a good idea to spend some time familiarizing yourself with it before trying to use the SGP package. In most cases, errors that occur in running SGP analyses revert back to issues in data preparation.
While the SGP methodology has been shown to significantly improve student growth and achievement, it should not be used as a sole factor in educational decisions. Students should be assessed using multiple metrics, including standardized tests and classroom performance evaluations. Furthermore, educators should consider individual student SGPs as part of instructional planning processes to ensure that all students are getting the instruction they need to achieve academic success.
To help make the process of interpreting student assessment data easier, we created a set of tools that can be used to visualize and analyze SGP data. The data sets sgptData_LONG and sgptData_WIDE contain anonymized, panel-level data for 8 windows (3 windows per year) of SGP analysis, including student assessments and teacher observations. These data sets also contain student categorization variables for demographic and student grouping purposes.
Both the sgptData_LONG data set and sgptData_WIDE data set are available for download on our website. We recommend the sgptData_LONG file for use with operational SGP analyses as it is simpler to manage than the wide data set. The lower level functions in the SGP package (studentGrowthPercentiles and studentGrowthProjections) require WIDE formatted data whereas the higher level functions (wrappers for the lower level functions) are designed to work with LONG formatted data.
In addition to the sgptData_LONG files, we provide an Excel spreadsheet that contains summary information for all of the state’s students by school and year. This spreadsheet also includes the number of students who have met each indicator and a score for each student that is calculated based on their assessment results. This file is intended to be a reference for districts as they prepare to interpret their own student assessment data.
In order to get the most accurate picture of the progress of each student, educators need access to detailed data on how students are performing in all subjects. Fortunately, the National Federation of State Boards of Education has begun to release the data that schools need to make informed decisions about their students’ learning. These new data sets will allow educators to compare student progress across states, districts and even school systems. They will also provide a foundation for making strategic investments in professional development and other resources that will support students’ success. In the long term, these efforts will lead to better learning outcomes for all students. This is a crucial step toward closing the achievement gap. As a result, it is imperative that educators understand how to analyze this new data in order to take action to make improvements.